The ten longest private motor yachts afloat, ranked by length overall in metres.
Quick answer: 1. Azzam, 2. Fulk Al Salamah, 3. Eclipse, 4. Dubai, 5. Blue, 6. Dilbar, 7. Al Said, 8. Prince Abdulaziz, 9. A+, 10. Opera.
Superyacht rankings are settled by one number: length overall, the distance from the tip of the bow to the stern. It decides berthing fees, which marinas a yacht can enter, and - more to the point for the people who commission them - who is at the top of the list. These are the ten longest private motor yachts currently afloat, from the 180-metre Azzam down to the 146.4-metre Opera. Seven of the ten were built in Germany, six of those by a single yard, and the oldest entry was delivered in 1984 and still outranks almost everything built since. Two larger vessels are often named in this conversation and are deliberately left out; the methodology explains why.
Azzam has been the longest private motor yacht in the world since her 2013 delivery, at 180 metres - 16 metres clear of the next yacht on the list. Built by Lurssen in Germany in a little over three years, she is unusually fast for a vessel of her size and is registered to the Al Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi.
At 164 metres, Fulk Al Salamah is the largest yacht ever built in Italy, delivered by T. Mariotti of Genoa in 2016. She is owned by the Sultanate of Oman and is the second Omani vessel in this top ten, alongside the older Al Said.
Eclipse held the title of world's largest yacht from her 2009 delivery until Azzam overtook her in 2013. Built by Blohm + Voss in Hamburg for Roman Abramovich, her 162.5 metres carry two helipads and a submarine, and her launch marked the peak of the pre-crisis superyacht boom.
Dubai is 162 metres long and was the world's largest yacht from 2006 until Eclipse displaced her three years later. Her hull was begun in the 1990s for a different owner before the project was bought and completed by Blohm + Voss for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.
Delivered by Lurssen in 2022 at 160 metres, Blue is the newest yacht in the list's top half and one of the largest built in the past decade. She was commissioned for Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also owns A+ at number nine.
Dilbar is 156 metres long and, though shorter than the four yachts above her, is widely reported as the largest yacht in the world by gross tonnage - a reminder that length alone does not measure volume. Delivered by Lurssen in 2016 for Alisher Usmanov, she was seized in Hamburg in 2022 under EU sanctions.
Al Said measures 155 metres and was the largest yacht in the world briefly after her 2007 delivery from Lurssen. Owned by the Sultanate of Oman, she is reported to carry a concert hall large enough for a 50-piece orchestra.
Delivered in 1984 by Helsingor Vaerft in Denmark, Prince Abdulaziz is by four decades the oldest yacht in this top ten and held the title of world's largest yacht for over 20 years, until Dubai launched in 2006. At 147 metres she still outranks every yacht built before the 2000s.
A+, delivered by Lurssen in 2012 and formerly named Topaz, matches Prince Abdulaziz at exactly 147 metres and is placed second on the tie because she is the younger vessel. She is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and has been chartered out, unusually for a yacht of this size.
Opera is the most recent yacht in the top ten, delivered by Lurssen in 2023 at 146.4 metres. She is the sixth Lurssen-built vessel on this list, which is the clearest illustration of how completely one German yard dominates the very largest end of the market.
| # | Name | Length overall | Delivered | Builder | Country of build |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azzam | 180.0 m | 2013 | Lurssen | Germany |
| 2 | Fulk Al Salamah | 164.0 m | 2016 | T. Mariotti | Italy |
| 3 | Eclipse | 162.5 m | 2009 | Blohm + Voss | Germany |
| 4 | Dubai | 162.0 m | 2006 | Blohm + Voss | Germany |
| 5 | Blue | 160.0 m | 2022 | Lurssen | Germany |
| 6 | Dilbar | 156.0 m | 2016 | Lurssen | Germany |
| 7 | Al Said | 155.0 m | 2007 | Lurssen | Germany |
| 8 | Prince Abdulaziz | 147.0 m | 1984 | Helsingor Vaerft | Denmark |
| 9 | A+ | 147.0 m | 2012 | Lurssen | Germany |
| 10 | Opera | 146.4 m | 2023 | Lurssen | Germany |
Ranked by length overall in metres for private motor yachts afloat and delivered, following Wikipedia's list of motor yachts by length, which is compiled from builder announcements and registry data. Ties are broken by delivery date, earliest first, which is why Prince Abdulaziz (1984) is placed ahead of A+ (2012) at an identical 147.0 m. Excluded: vessels under construction or not yet delivered; sailing yachts, which are ranked separately in the industry; and two large vessels often mentioned in this conversation that are not private motor yachts - REV Ocean (194.9 m), classed and operated as a research vessel, and Somnio (222 m), a residential 'yacht liner' sold as individually owned apartments, which most yacht registries exclude. State-owned vessels used as yachts are included where registries list them as motor yachts. Reported lengths occasionally differ by a few tenths of a metre between the builder and the registry; the registry figure is used.
Azzam, at 180 metres, has been the longest private motor yacht afloat since she was delivered by Lurssen in 2013. She is 16 metres longer than the second-placed Fulk Al Salamah, the widest gap anywhere in this top ten.
Both are excluded here because they are not private motor yachts. REV Ocean, at 194.9 metres, is built and operated as a research and expedition vessel; when she enters service she will be the longest vessel commonly described as a yacht, but her purpose is ocean science. Somnio, at 222 metres, is a 'yacht liner' - a residential ship whose apartments are sold to individual owners - and most yacht registries classify her with cruise ships rather than yachts.
Not necessarily. Length overall and gross tonnage measure different things, and Dilbar - sixth here at 156 metres - is widely reported as the largest yacht in the world by gross tonnage because she is far more voluminous than her length suggests. This list ranks by length because that is the industry's standard ordering.
Lurssen of Germany, by a wide margin: six of the ten yachts here are Lurssen builds, including the top-ranked Azzam. Add the two Blohm + Voss yachts and seven of the ten largest private motor yachts afloat were built in Germany.
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